Another surprise for me as I looked through the gospels is the amount of healing taking place. As Jesus lived on earth, he did a whole lot of healing. Not everyone, of course, but there is a lot more healing than my non-Charismatic background is usually open to seeing. And who did Jesus heal? The least of these. I was hard pressed to find a case of Jesus healing someone who was not in some way a member of “the least of these.” The lepers, the blind, the disabled, the poor, widows, prostitutes, women, Samaritans, Roman soldiers. It almost makes one wonder if Jesus didn’t care about respectable, healthy, middle-class people… or if they just didn’t know they needed healing. I rather think the latter.

What about us? How can we heal? There’s more than one kind of healing. How can we bring healing and wholeness to those around us? Here are just a few ideas that are coming to my mind; I’m sure you can think of many more to add. We can sit with the dying, listen to the brokenhearted, pray for the work of the Spirit, look a homeless person in the eyes, be there for a child who has had too many people disappear, touch someone who no one touches.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25: 34-40)